The Department of Education (DepEd) participated in this year’s Philippine Book Festival to reiterate its commitment to promoting access to quality reading materials.
“We have been considering the need to more effectively streamline our book and educational material purchases for many years,” said Undersecretary for Curriculum and Teaching Gina Gonong.
The 2023 Philippine Book Festival, held in World Trade Center Manila from June 2 to 4, aims to highlight Filipino books and features Philippine literature, culture, and other contents.
It is spearheaded by the National Book Development Board (NBDB), one of the attached agencies of DepEd.
(Photo courtesy of DepEd)
“We are joining NBDB and its partner organizations at the first Philippine Book Festival in this spirit, and as a result of the Festival’s creation to specifically highlight the range and depth of our books and the diversity of our national voices,” Gonong said.
The Philippine Book Festival is the largest traveling book festival in the Philippines that features local book publishers and authors.
Participants can also join the various workshops and exhibit on reading, book writing, and storytelling, among others.
The event also serves as a venue for DepEd teaching and non-teaching personnel to conduct market scoping for supplementary learning resources in various grade levels as part of its vision to provide quality materials for learners.
On the part of DepEd, it featured learning resources, such as storybooks and digital learning materials from its Learning Resource Portal (LRP) developed by teachers and field implementers.
(Photo courtesy of DepEd)
Meanwhile, Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade, assured that the NBDB will continue to ensure that reading materials remain accessible.
“It is time to give our voice primacy. It is our time, and we have to do it now,” she added.